The One She Wanted
by want2bemassie111
Summary: This is a somewhat alternate universe where Layla and Warren never interacted before the dance. He comforts her through her desperate time. She realizes he wants her just as much as she wants him. Who will try to break them apart? How far can Fire and Earth go before they destroy each other? Rated M for lemony chapters and some intense and coarse language. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

This is an AU (Alternate Universe) where Layla and Warren never interacted before the dance. Everything else is normal. Yes, it screws up the movie plot, but just bear with me please ;) Rated M for lemony chapters and some intense and coarse language.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this shit. That will be all.

Layla's POV

It took me two days. Just two days after the dance to realize what a little bitch Will was. He had made fun of my tofu and I punched him lightly in the arm, and I swear I saw an actual tear. He had been overly protective and even ventured so far as to call me his "property". And I had enough. The next day before school, I broke it off, relying on my argument of "we-have-purely-platonic-feelings-and-I-can't-kiss-a-guy-that-I-saw-naked-when-I-was-four."

Right after I saw the look of desperation on his face, I turned and dashed through the school to the small field in the back that was used for sports and what-not. On the left side there was a small cluster of about 10 huge trees that were calling out to me.

I ran under the trees and took a seat under a particularly large maple. And for some reason, I started crying. As soon as the first drop hit my chest, I knew what I was crying about. Magenta's parents moved her to another super/sidekick school in Rhode Island. My sister had recently left for college in London. My mom was working so many hours at the veterinary practice. My dad had left a week ago with his masseuse. And I had just pushed away the last person I thought I knew.

I was all alone.

The soft tears turned into huge wracking, snotty sobs and I pulled my knees to my chest. The maple's lowest branch curved and curled around me, making a protective barrier of foliage. I fell to my side and curled into the fetal position. That's when I saw him through the trees.

Warren Peace.

He was sitting against a weeping willow, stuffing a book in his messenger bag. He was wearing dirty combat boots and the streak of red in his slightly-longer-than-normal hair gleamed. His leather jacket looked deliciously soft.

And he was staring right at me. I curled in on myself even more, but I couldn't stop looking in his dark eyes. He stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder and left my gaze, fluidly walking away.

It was only when he had left my sight that I noticed something where he had been sitting. I was overcome by curiosity and stood up, dusting the grass off myself as the maple branch weaved back into position. I walked over and picked up the small package of tissues and smiled. I looked down again and examined the ripped corner of notebook paper. On it read:

_We should hang out._

_Paper Lantern- from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Monday-Friday) from 8 p.m. to closing (Saturday)_

He left his address and number under that. A creeping blush warmed my cheeks as I kept staring at the note. Did he know that I had broken up with Will? And why _me_? We were total polar opposites. He was fire. I was earth. We just couldn't coexist in nature. And believe me, I knew.

_But still…_ The nagging voice in the back of my head alerted me of the raw curiosity. The mystery; the forbidden relationship; the sheer possibility. I kept thinking about him, his hair, his eyes, his raw and rare smiles and laughs. And it dawned on me. I wanted to try this out. I wanted to meet him. I wanted to talk to him and know him. And most of all, I wanted to know how he felt about me.

That night around seven, I walked into _Paper Lantern_. A short man led me to a booth and handed me a menu. I settled into my seat and glanced around the small restaurant. My eyes gleamed and focused on the busboy clearing dishes from a table a few feet away. He sensed my eyes and looked over. He didn't smile, but I saw his eyes flash. He grabbed the dirty dishes and walked to the kitchen doors. He returned a moment later and gracefully swung into his seat across from me.

"Hi," I said nervously. "So. I guess you saw me this morning." He nodded. "Did you hear? About Will and me?"

He removed his gaze from the wood laminate and stared into my eyes. "Ya, I heard. I'm so proud you finally found out what a pussy he is." I gasped and leaned back in my seat. I had never heard someone use such foul words so easily. His eyes softened minutely. "Sorry bout the language, but if you want to hang out anymore, you'll need to get used to it." I gasped again, partly because he actually apologized to me, and partly because he wanted to do this again.

"Well why do you think Will is a-a, well you know…," I stuttered out before his dark chuckle cut me off.

"A pussy? I think Will is a pussy because he never could hold his own. He never could take a punch. And he never knew who he had in front of him until she was gone." I blushed and looked down. I heard him let out a miniscule "_whoa_". I looked through my hair at him, gazing in awe at the vase on the table. The blooming rose grew from a pearly white to a pink, and then to a deep red as my cheeks turned the color of a tomato. I really hated that. He looked at me and smiled. Yes, an actual SMILE. He asked his boss if he could duck out a few minutes early and sit with me. After Warren made a promise to make up the time, his boss easily agreed. He came back to the booth in his street clothes and we just started to get to know each other.

We talked about how it felt to be alone, what with my family and his father. I learned his favorite color was red. He already knew my favorite color was green. We discussed how hard it was to deal with an element-based power. He told me about his mother and I told him about mine. His story was better. We talked and talked and he told me he would give me a ride home. We walked outside and he asked where I lived. I told him and he nodded.

_Then he motioned for me to get on the back of a motorcycle he had already started up_.

"A motorcycle? You have got to be kidding me!"

"C'mon Layla, are you already losing your rebellious streak? You freed yourself from Stronghold. How can this be any different?" He smiled mischievously and I melted in his fiery gaze.

I bit my lower lip, and after a moment, I snapped on the helmet and swung my leg over.

"You might wanna hold on to me," he said as he motioned to my hands hanging at my sides. Apparently I seemed incompetent, so he reached back and secured my arms around his waist.

Damn, he was hot.

No, like he was literally hot. Pyros run a higher temperature than humans. I hooked my fingers together and I could feel the chiseled muscles of his lower abs. Wow, he was _really_ ripped. He revved the engine and I could feel the rumble deep in my belly. We shot forward and I squeezed my arms tighter, trying desperately to not fall off. He chuckled and I smiled against his leather jacket. I was right. It was deliciously soft.

We arrived at my house in less than five minutes. He turned off the motorcycle and we both got off. I unclipped the helmet and handed it to him, my cheeks flushed. He looked over my shoulder and a minute crinkling of his eyebrows told me something was wrong.

He looked at me. "Why are there no lights on?"

I sighed and told him that no one was usually home, and most nights I came home to an empty house. He looked me in the eye once more and quickly gave me a kiss on the cheek before he slipped on his helmet and swiftly pulled away from the curb. I felt that weird sensation deep in my body again and I slowly walked through my front door with a huge smile on my face.

I couldn't wait to see Warren Peace again.

I think I was falling for him.


	2. Chapter 2

It's getting lemony all up in here. See that italicized part? Yup that's it. ;D

**xxxxxx**

Warren's POV

_She kissed me, and the tree outside my house exploded through my window. She smiled against my lips and my hands burned with an almost literal fire as one grabbed her curvy ass, and the other slipped under her shirt. All the heat in my hand went straight to my thumb as it grazed over her bra-clad nipple. She moaned into my mouth and I slipped my right knee between her legs. She ground against me and she moaned even louder. _

_I pulled my mouth to her ear and whispered, "I love your moans, but how about I make you scream?" My hands went to her soft red hair and hers slipped my shirt over my head. She grazed her teeth over my earlobe and…_

**xxxxxx**

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I woke up gasping for air with my sheets tangled around my legs. I slammed my hand over the alarm clock. My skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat. I de-tangled myself and gazed down at my lap.

"Well shit. That's going to be hell to take care of." I had a _huge_ erection. Christ! I had only known the girl for a day! A fucking day! And I was already having sex dreams about her. _Well her, and her silky hair, and her creamy skin, and her beautiful eyes, and her soft voice, and…_ Whoa, whoa, whoa. I really needed help.

But even though I lusted after her like no other, I couldn't wait to see her today, to talk to her, to smile and laugh with her. And most of all, I wanted to protect her from whatever that asshole Will was probably planning to "get her back". She had always deserved someone better.

**xxxxxx**

I was on Lyla's front doorstep, with my long pointer finger poised over the doorbell, when she opened the door and almost ran into me. Either she forgot who I was, or she didn't care because she made no effort to rein her emotions.

"Warren! You nearly scared me to death!" She smacked me on the chest and I stepped back to let her lock the door behind her. We stepped off the curb and I started to talk.

"Well, hello to you too, Layla. Yes, I am having a good day. You seem especially cheery this morning." I looked over at her and smirked and she smacked me again, this time on my arm. We both laughed and carried on in a comfortable silence towards the bus stop. We were a few feet away when Layla slowed her walking and her face paled.

"What's wrong?" I asked and she looked over to the bus stop bench where _**Will and Jennifer Frost were making out! **_ Layla looked up at me and I thought she was going to cry. Will came up for air and his eyes widened as he saw Layla standing next to me. I slid my hand down her arm and joined her hand, intertwining our fingers. She dug her thumbnail into the side of my warm hand and I gave her fingers a light squeeze, reassuring her that this physical contact was okay. Actually, it was amazing, but I wasn't about to let anyone know that.

By the time we had walked to the bench, the bus had appeared. Layla led the way, our hands still joined, as she climbed up the small steps. She found an empty seat near the back and slipped into the window spot. Naturally, I followed her and slid into the remaining space.

In that moment, she looked fragile and helpless, so I never let go of her hand.

Wait. This was _Layla_ for crying out loud! She could handle anything. But as I snuck a peek out of the corner of my eye, I wasn't so sure. Her eyes were teetering on bloodshot and I wondered if she had already let a few tears loose.

One slid down her cheek, and before my rational thoughts caught up with my instincts, I leaned over and kissed the salty drop away.

I heard a quick gasp behind me and I whipped my head around to see Jennifer Frost looking utterly shocked and Will staring daggers at the back of my head. I just smirked and turned back around to unhooked our fingers. A worried look flashed over her face, but she was quickly settled by the weight of my arm over her shoulders. She happily sighed and curled into my side for the rest of the bus trip.

And I was blissfully happy.

**xxxxxx**

It wasn't until Layla and I walked off the bus, fingers intertwined again, that I realized we didn't have any classes together.

She sounded so sad when she spoke. "How on earth am I going to survive today without you? I mean, seventy percent of the school is out on this lawn and they've already seen Will and Jennifer together. And that means they've already seen us too. That means that they probably assume we're together, and..." Her voice had become frantic, so I interjected to avoid a breakdown of some sort.

"Layla, first, we have to get our story straight. Do you want to be together, like officially?" I hated the words, even as they were rolling off my tongue. I sounded so weird. But not to be deterred, Layla nodded, a slow smile spreading across her face.

Damn, she was sexy.

As the day progressed, I finally realized how different I was with Layla. During school, I was withdrawn, cynical, and made no physical, verbal, or emotional contact with anyone. At last, Mad Science ended and I grabbed my bag to head to lunch.

Lunch!

I had lunch with Layla! If you might have been watching when I came to this realization, you wouldn't even know of my happiness. Maybe you noticed a slight quickening of my step, and that was all. I had become very good at hiding my emotions. My cell phone vibrated in my pocket and I checked the screen.

_Layla: Meet me under the tree you were sitting at when you found me. Bring your lunch. ;)_

I smiled a half smile and made a one-eighty, heading for the back of the school.

**xxxxxx**

Was I nervous? Because as soon as I spotted her under that weeping willow, my heart started to race. She was so adorable, so beautiful, and so sexy.

I wanted her. Bad.

She stood up when she saw me and ran over to give me a huge hug, which I absolutely loved. God, she made me so mushy. And I didn't even mind.

We sat down underneath the tree, me leaning against it with her in my lap. We talked and laughed and she even dared me to try some tofu. It wasn't too bad. She had a bite of vegetable lo mein and was instantly in love. She made me feel amazing. And as she cuddled up to me, she told me I made her feel amazing too.

I think I might be in love.

I could only hope Layla felt the same way.


	3. Chapter 3

Layla's POV

_His hands were amazing, setting fire to the skin they grazed over. I was in pure bliss as those magnificent hands rubbed, kneaded, and explored. I wrapped my legs around his torso and he took my breast into his mouth. My head tilted back and I let out a loud moan. He lifted his head up and smiled at me. He brought our mouths together and kissed me with such passion that I thought my head might explode. Our tongues intertwined and I ran my hands down his sculpted chest and abs. _

_I squeezed my legs tighter. He tangled his hands in my hair and my fingers tugged at his red streak. Our kiss deepened and he ground his hips against mine. I gasped at the friction and he smiled again. I reached for his jeans button and…_

**xxxxxx **

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

My eyes flew open and I looked around my room, trying to get my bearings. I threw my covers off and ran to my private bathroom. I quickly undressed, briefly embarrassed by the condition of my underwear. Almost tripping as I got into the shower, I started to think about my dream.

Why did I dream about that? I had only known him for two days! Sure we had already started dating, but I didn't think that I could lust over a guy in such a short amount of time. Yesterday's lunch was amazing though. He was just so different with me. He talked and laughed, but he still retained his composure. I think he really loved me.

And as soon as he agreed to try some tofu… It was a done deal.

I stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped around me. I panicked at the thought of dressing today. I kind of wanted to impress him. He mentioned yesterday that he wished I wore my hair down more, so I could do that. What if I surprised him with my outfit? I bit my lip, a plan forming in my head.

**xxxxxx**

We agreed to meet at the bus stop. He was already sitting on the bench when I saw him. I yelled out a greeting as I approached the bench. He turned to yell back when his mouth fell open.

I was wearing a red V-neck tank top with dark wash skinny jeans and black flats with black bows on the toes. My red hair was flowing free and curly. I actually wore makeup today. Just some brown liner and bronzer.

Damn, I looked hot.

"Well, Layla. If you keep dressing like that, I may have to defend your honor more often. You look unbelievably sexy." I blushed and looked down.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and mine automatically went to wrap around his neck. I loved his hugs. He was so warm and strong. I felt like no one could hurt me there. Unexpectedly, he leaned back and looked me in the eye. He leaned down and our lips were inches away when…

"LAYLA!" An annoying voice screamed behind us and a dark look crossed Warren's face. He slowly turned his head around and we dropped our arms. He turned his back towards me and slowly walked to the voice. I rose to my tiptoes and looked over his shoulder and spotted the figure.

Will.

A frown set itself on my face and I jogged to catch up to Warren. We stood side by side a few feet from Will and joined hands, intertwining our fingers. Will looked at me and started screaming.

"How could you Layla? After everything I gave you? I loved you! And you just decide to break my heart? For who? HIM!" His face was bright red. Before I could answer, Warren spoke up.

"You never gave her anything but sadness. And yes, she left you. But not for me. For herself. I just happened to be a happy accident. And no, you never loved her. But I just happen to." I blushed and looked up at him. He smiled, shrugged, and kissed me on the cheek. His face went back to the dark, serious look he had before as he turned back to Will.

And Will started screaming again, this time at Warren.

"You asshole! You pervert! You've only known her two days! How can you possibly kiss her, let alone love her!" Will's face was so red, I thought he was going to have an aneurism. His voice crept up an octave every time he opened his mouth. Warren replied calmly and smoothly.

"It only took you two days to call her your property. And who are you to decide how long it takes for me to love someone?" I squeezed his hand and bit my lip, smiling. I was so happy that he kept saying he loved me. Will looked at me incredulously.

"Is it true? Does he love you? Do you love him, you slut!" I gasped and quickly removed my hand from Warren's. Not a moment too soon as his palms lit on fire. Will's eyes widened and he took a step back. A fire ball whizzed by his head and Warren took a step forward.

"Don't you call her a slut! Ever! She is a smart, beautiful, sexy, amazing woman. She is twice the person you will ever be! And frankly, I have no idea how I came to deserve her, but for some odd reason, she wants me too."

Then Warren punched Will. Hard.

Will fell on the ground and held his bleeding nose. I walked over to him and looked down.

"Yes I love him you-you…," Warren whispered in my ear. "You motherfucker!" I looked at Warren and grabbed his hand.

We raced past Will, past the bench, past the bus stop and back down my block. Warren stopped us at the end of my block. Without thinking, he spun me around and placed a hot, sweet, passionate, kiss on my lips. I ran my hands through his hair and pulled his lips closer. His warm hands wrapped around my waist and he pulled me even closer. I ran my tongue across his lower lip and he let out the smallest of gasps. Our tongues intertwined and his hands slid down to my ass. He squeezed and I let go of his lips. I took a step back, breathing heavily.

I looked up at him. "I have to know Warren. Do you really love me? Because I think I love you, and I don't want to just be left hanging so if…" I was silenced by his lips. My eyes closed and he left a trail of little kisses across my jaw, leading up to my ear.

He whispered, "Of course I love you, now will you just shut up and kiss me?" He captured my lips once more.

**xxxxxx**

We ended up at Warren's house.

Well, first we had to crouch in the bushes for about five minutes until his mom pulled out of the driveway and disappeared down the block. He led me up his porch and reached into his bag for his keys. His house surprised me. The outside looked like a normal two-story suburban house. The inside looked like a normal two-story suburban house. I would have expected something different. I wasn't sure what, just different.

He led me up to his room, which was actually pretty clean for a teenage boy. He had a dying potted plant in the corner, which I quickly brought back to life.

"You really need to water that more often," I scolded. He smiled at me and collapsed against his bed, sitting against his black headboard. I slipped off my flats and sat cross-legged on the comforter facing him.

He leaned forward. "Want to see something cool?" I nodded. He held his hand flat in the air, palm up. He closed his eyes and concentration lines formed between his eyebrows. A moment passed. Then a small bud appeared in his hand, fluidly blooming into a large rose made of orange flames. I gasped and he smiled through his concentration. The scene changed and the flames transformed to look like Warren giving me a rose. It was amazing and I could feel the warmth on my face. Like a little cartoon in the palm of his hand. He opened his eyes and the scene dissipated.

"Wow. That was so cool! How did you do that?" He smiled and began to explain how after he met me, the night he dropped me off, he was sitting on his floor and just imagined my face in his mind. He opened his eyes and the next thing he knew, my face was in the palm of his hand. I smiled.

"Oh and Warren, I wanted to thank you for this morning. I honestly thought he was going to kill you. And if I really do want to skip school, I'm glad it's with you." I smiled at him. He smiled back at me.

Our phones vibrated. At the same time.

I went over to my bag. It was weird that someone would text me at the begging of a school day. It was my mom.

_Mom: I have a conference to go to this weekend. I've talked to Warren Peace's mom and you will be staying at his house today and the weekend. I'm carpooling with her though, so you two will be left alone tonight and through the weekend. Don't do anything that would leave me anything less than proud. I trust you Layla. See you and Warren on Monday. P.S. I know you skipped school today. It's fine. I love you._

I looked over at him and met his gaze. His expression was a mix of anxiety, excitement, and lust.

Holy shit. My mom was leaving me alone with Warren Peace for three days and three nights.

This was going to be an amazing weekend.


	4. Chapter 4

Warren's POV

We were sitting in my mom's immaculately clean den, eating popcorn and watching Animal Planet (Layla's choice- not mine), when the door bell rang. I stood up and walked over, engaging the chain. I opened the door till the chain grew taut.

Will was on the other side.

"May I please speak to Layla?" I closed the door and walked over to stand in front of Layla.

"Will is out there. He wants to talk to you." She stood up and walked to the door. "Keep the chain on."

I sat back down on the couch and watched her carefully, just to make sure she was safe. They were whispering angrily through the three inch crack of the door. After five minutes or so she took a step back, flipped Will off, and slammed the door.

She then proceeded to slump to the ground and cry. And do I mean cry.

I jumped up and ran over to her. I sat against the door and pulled her into my lap. She hooked her arms around my neck and sobbed into my shoulder. It felt like hours before she stopped. I looked her in the eye.

"What did he say, and how long of a running start should I give him before I hunt that asshole down and shove fire down his throat?" She laughed and began to tell me how he had told her that she was a little skank and that she didn't deserve me. Then he told her that I would never stay with her as soon as I fucked her. She tried to tell him differently, but he interrupted her, saying that I was probably going to do whatever it took to get into her pants, but it wouldn't take long because she was such a whore. That was about when she gave him the bird and shut the door in his face.

I was already on my feet, un-doing the chain. She pulled me back.

"Warren Peace! You will not go out there and kill him. As much as you would like to, I can't have you end up in jail, leaving me all alone to fend for myself. You know that as soon as you touch him, he will call his lawyer. Then he will come here, break down that door, and do who-knows-what to me. Please. Just stay." I looked into her green eyes and knew that she was right. She wrapped me in a hug and I whispered in her ear.

"None of that would ever be true. I love you so much; it would kill me to leave you." She smiled at me and planted a sweet kiss on my lips

**xxxxxx**

It was hours later before I looked at the clock. I jumped up and started to look for my uniform.

"Fuck, shit, fuck, motherfucker, SHIT! My boss is going to kill me," I looked at Layla. "Sorry Lay, but I have to go to work." She just smiled and got up.

"Well then I guess I'm coming with you. My mom wouldn't be so pleased if she knew that I had been alone in the house for hours on end." I looked at her exasperatedly but sighed and held out my hand, figuring that this was a fight I wasn't going to win. I locked the door behind us and jogged to my motorcycle parked in the driveway. I turned it on and slipped on my helmet. I had to wait for a mere second before Layla was on behind me, her hands securely wrapped around my torso.

We had only been riding for about two minutes when I felt it.

Layla was grinding against me.

_Shit, _I thought to myself. _How am I going to survive with this girl around?_ Then she started to kiss my neck.

"Fuck Layla! I am trying to drive!" she giggled and stopped moving and kissing. She tightened her arms and buried her face in my back for the rest of the trip.

We arrived at_ Paper Lantern_ and I turned off the motorcycle. Layla started laughing uncontrollably as I stared at her incredulously.

"Layla, you just…" I sighed and looked at her. She smiled at me and dragged me through the front doors. I gave her a quick kiss on her lovely lips and ran through the kitchen doors. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and slipped on my apron. The small restaurant was always busy on Friday nights and I had plenty of dishes to clear. I dropped the dishes into the dishwasher and turned to see my boss quickly shoving me out the doors with an order pad and a pen. Apparently one of the waitresses was on leave, so this would be an easy compromise to fill in the time I had lost on Wednesday.

There was only one problem.

I wasn't really a people person.

He gave me an easy quadrant, where only two booths were filled. One contained a sweet elderly couple that had been coming here every Friday night for as long as I could remember. The other held my gorgeous girlfriend. I went to the old folks first and they ordered the same thing they've had for years. I wrote it on my pad.

_Steamed rice and two egg rolls_

I walked over to Layla and gave her a quick kiss. She whispered in my ear.

"_Two cups of hot green tea. Extra steamy." _ She practically purred the last part and I had to shake my head a couple times to refocus. I went into the kitchen to give Marty the orders when he handed me a plate of eggrolls and rice.

"Matt and Betty are probably here already. And the green tea will be steaming hot when you get back." I sighed, remembering that once upon a time, Marty had told me he had gone to Sky High as a psychic sidekick. I grabbed the plate of food, and walked out to set it on the couple's table. When I came back through the doors, sure enough, two mugs of green tea were sitting on the counter. I grabbed them both and kicked the kitchen door open with my foot. I set the cups onto the table and slid in next to Layla. She took a sip and frowned. I rolled my eyes and grabbed her cup, pushing all the heat from my hand into the ceramic. She took another sip a let out a big, _Ahhhhh. _

"Layla?"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to know that I would never get into your pants and just leave. And that I really do love you." I smiled and went in for a quick kiss. But not if Layla had it her way. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me closer. I licked her top lip and she sighed into my mouth. She pulled away and ran her thumb across my bottom lip. I smiled.

Damn, I wanted her so bad.

**xxxxxx**

My shift ended and we ended up at my house without any problems. It was around nine-thirty when we collapsed on the couch. I shrugged off my jacket and stood back up again.

"I need a shower. You can just chill out until I'm done. I assume you don't need one," she shook her head, "so when I get out we can figure out sleeping arrangements." Layla smiled and I leaned down to give her a kiss. I went into the upstairs bathroom and peeled off my clothes. As I turned the water heat up higher and higher, I started to think.

_I love Layla. Why do I love her so much? I barely know her. Yet, we just…fit. She was the light to my dark, the yin to my yang. She literally completed me. _

_How the fuck did I not notice it before?_

I stepped out of the shower with my hair dripping and wrapped a towel around my waist. Opening the bathroom door, I shivered at how cold it was. Was it this cold earlier? I quickly walked to my room and almost dropped my towel when I saw Layla sitting on my bed. She had her feet tucked under her and she was staring at her phone. Sensing my presence, she starting talking.

"I just got an anonyms text. Says that Jennifer Frost was angry after Will just dumped her to go yell at me. She also happens to have moved to a level five Elemental Control class. And she's just plunged the entire town into a massive blizzard." She looked up at me with worry in her eyes. "It's already snowed two feet."

Then she let her eyes travel down my body. They quickly shot back up to a point above my head.

"Warren. You're naked. Maybe you should get some clothes on?" I nodded quickly and she closed her eyes. I grabbed a pair of boxers and slipped them on, followed by some sweats.

"Okay, I'm somewhat decent." She opened her eyes and they focused in on my torso. I heard her whisper under her breath.

"_Fuck…_" I smiled to myself and pulled a white tank top over my head. She looked at me.

"Do you have anything for me to wear? We won't make it to my house in this snow and I really don't want to sleep in jeans." I bent down and pulled a black tee shirt out of my drawer. I tossed it to her and she turned her back to me. I knew it was wrong to not close my eyes, but I couldn't stop staring. She quickly pulled off her tank top, revealing the back of a lacy green and black bra. She slipped my shirt over her head. It swallowed her up, reaching the middle of her thighs. She slid off her jeans and I got quick look at her underwear. Yup, a matching set. She turned around and pulled her hair into a low ponytail.

"So, about sleeping arrangements…,"

Before I could even think I blurted out, "You should sleep in my bed!" Did I really just say that?

I. Am. An. Idiot.

Layla blushed and looked down. I went over to hug her when the window blew open. A flurry of snowflakes fell onto my carpet, and Layla shrunk back. I wrestled the window closed and locked it. I could hear her teeth chattering. Shit.

I hopped into my bed and pulled her up close to me, yanking the comforter around us. She snuggled into my chest and I wrapped my arms around her, briefly flinching at her freezing skin. I used my power to force all of my heat into her. She sighed and curled in even closer. I scooted us down so our heads were on the pillows. She buried her cheek in my chest and sighed before quickly falling asleep. I watched the snow fall outside. A few minutes later, I too was asleep, holding my other half close.

**Please, please, **_**PLEASE **_**review! I live on your guys' reviews! Even criticism works! Don't leave me hanging! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Enjoy some lemony goodness!**

Layla's POV

My inner clock woke me up at about seven. I felt my hair down my back where it had wrestled its way out of my ponytail. I knew that I probably looked like shit. I tried to climb out of Warren's bed but two things stopped me. One: It was still fucking freezing in his room and Warren was so goddamn warm. Two: His arms unconsciously tightened around me when I tried to move, leaving no escape. Might as well just give up now. I took this time to study his face. The space between his eyebrows was clear from worry lines, and his lips were full and relaxed into a small smile. I brushed his hair back from his face and he sighed. He was beautiful.

I had only been awake for about half an hour when I felt it.

Somehow, during the night, Warren's right leg had drifted in between mine.

And now, he was bringing his knee up to grind into my center. I put my hands on his shoulders and gasped. He did it again and I involuntarily brought my hips down to increase the friction. This continued for another minute and I could feel something start to coil up behind my stomach as a rush of wetness pooled between my thighs. The small smile that had been on his lips earlier vanished and his eyes flew open.

We both froze.

His eyes went to my flushed face first, accompanied by my labored breathing. His eyes traveled down, stopping for a split second at my breasts. He was such a pervert sometimes. They continued down and froze where his knee was pressed tightly against my core. He looked at me with one eyebrow raised and I started blushing furiously. A smirk crossed his lips and his eyes flashed while he was probably thinking in his head, _Well, Layla. What sort of fuckery is this?_ His smirk deepened and he brought his knee up one more time, pressing hard against me.

He then proceeded to unceremoniously roll out of bed and disappear out his door and down the stairs.

I turned and spread eagle on his bed, bringing my hands to tightly cover my face. I was probably bright red at this point. I was so angry at him for just turning me on and just leaving me hanging. And then I was so embarrassed that I actually _wanted_ him to finish the job.

What. The. Fuck.

I sat up and shivered slightly. It was still freezing, but the heat from my blush and the flush blood flow between my legs helped greatly. And that made me feel even worse. It was time for me to go look presentable. I nearly sprinted to the bathroom, and after a quick pee and brushing my teeth with the toothbrush Warren had set on the counter with a note attached saying it was mine, I had still never been so embarrassed in my life.

I slowly opened the door and crept halfway down the stairs. He was sitting at the breakfast island, practically inhaling a bowl of cereal. He stopped and turned his head slightly to look at me, crouched below the banister on the stairs. I blushed even more (if that was even possible), and started walking down the rest of the steps. I pushed my hair forward over my shoulders to cover my face and took a seat on the right side of Warren, pulling my legs up close to my chest and wrapping my arms around them.

As soon as I thought it couldn't get any more awkward, I spotted a few drops of my wetness still drying on this sweats, an inch above his knee. I buried my face in my arms and started square breathing.

_In 2, 3, 4, Hold 2, 3, 4, Out 2, 3, 4, Hold 2, 3, 4._

I heard the water running, and a clang as Warren set the dishes in the dish drainer. He walked back over to where I was and hopped up to sit on the island. He was swinging his feet off the edge and every so often, he would swing too far and hit his heel on the underside of the counter.

It was so awkward, and I was so mortified.

After a while, I finally got up the courage to peek through the hair curtain I had created. I expected him to be as horrified as I was. But no, because this is Warren Peace. He was staring at me, _smirking_.

And so naturally, I got irrationally angry at him.

"What the fuck Warren? You should be as embarrassed as I am! You should be awkwardly kicking me out of your house! But oh no. You have to fucking _smirk_ at me!" I had started pacing in front of him at this point, even angrier at myself for picking up his dirty language. He never wiped that smirk off his face.

"Well Layla, I'm actually very proud of you. Up until this point, I didn't think that you thought about me _like that_. And that was probably the _best_ way to wake up. _Ever_. And we've also established who the pervert is in this relationship." I stopped my pacing and stared at him incredulously.

"_The fuck_? _You _started it, Warren. I just happened to have an involuntary reaction." I crossed my arms and smirked straight back. He hopped off the counter and walked over to me. He kissed from my neck up to my earlobe. And as soon as he reached my ear to nibble on it, his hand ghosted under his shirt I was wearing and grabbed my ass. I emitted a small squeak. He smirked triumphantly against my ear and whispered.

"Involuntary, huh?" I slowly closed my eyes and started biting my lip as his other hand grabbed me firmly around the waist. He was kneading my ass in his palm and was sucking on my earlobe.

I was very close to fainting.

As soon as I thought I might pass out, the hand that was not around my waist traced the band line of my panties. Two off his fingers slid down, over my underwear, and pressed against the most intimate and sensitive of places. I had already thoroughly dampened the material. He rubbed against me and continued to bite my ear as I gasped. He brought his hand out from under me and rubbed his first two fingers against his thumb at my shoulder level.

"Still think it's involuntary?"

His warmth disappeared and I opened my eyes, only to hear the bathroom door slam shut.

_Well, fuck me… Why did he keep doing that?_

And suddenly, I realized what it was like to be sexually frustrated.

**xxxxxx**

I had found the cereal on my own, and had washed my own dishes after I had eaten. I was sitting in the den again, watching television. I was uncomfortable, my body calling out for friction, _any friction_, since Warren left. It was so different, and such an odd feeling. I was squirming in my seat when he came back. He was wearing a different pair of sweats this time, black instead of gray. He had a black tee shirt on over a long sleeved red one.

And he never looked sexier.

He sat down next to me and I briefly forgot about my nervousness and previous embarrassment as I cuddled up to him. I had a huge cream blanket wrapped around my legs, but I was still freezing from the waist up.

Instead of just letting me lean against him, he pulled me onto his lap and rested his chin on top of my head. This felt rather surprising compared to the sex-god earlier that had been the first guy to touch me _there._ Okay, it was over my underwear, but it still counted. I stared at him through my lashes, and his face was rather expressionless. This was also odd, as whenever he was near me, it was like he just automatically opened up and couldn't resist smiling.

I removed my head from under his and he stared at me with a stony expression. Before I could even open my mouth, he spoke.

"I'm sorry Layla. I should have asked you if I was crossing the line. I should have asked if you want to wait until marriage or if your parents would be angry or whatever. I was just acting out of pure instinct and emotion and that was wrong of me." I stared at him in shock. He was feeling…._guilty? _He stared into my eyes with, was that…._shame? _I just sat there like a gaping fish while he wallowed in self-disgrace. I finally regained my senses after about two minutes.

I grabbed each side of his face and forced him to look into my eyes.

"Warren Peace. I am not angry at you because I didn't want it or because I want to wait for marriage or because I'm worried my parents would be angry. Waiting for marriage is entirely unrealistic to me and my mom doesn't care as long as I'm safe. And I'm definitely not angry at you because I didn't want it. Oh, I wanted it, but each time you just left me feeling embarrassed like I did something wrong. Each time you just worked me up and then left. So the next time something like….._that_ comes along, and it feels right, just roll with it. You have my full permission."

With each sentence, his eyes grew brighter and the cloud hanging over his head dissipated. He sighed, relieved, and pulled me against his chest. I pressed my freezing fingers against his neck and he shuddered at the feeling, his arms almost becoming too toasty for comfort. He settled down and began to watch T.V.

**xxxxxx **

A few minutes later the feeling returned. I bit my lip so hard that I almost drew blood. I wiggled slightly against Warren's lap and he looked at me.

"Feeling uncomfortable?" He smirked at me and I briefly panicked. He looked me in the eye with a slight smirk. "You know that I can take that feeling away very quickly. Very easily too. And it's not _really_ doing it. Just a little something to tide you over." I slowly considered the idea and weighed this annoying feeling against not knowing what he was going to do to me. I just threw my hands up.

"Fine! Anything! Just don't leave me hanging this time!" He threw the blanket off me and led me up to his room.

I laid down on his bed and he crawled on top of me after taking off both of his shirts. He put his arms on either side of my head locking me in. Then he kissed me. With a hell of a lot of passion. He pushed my shirt above my waist and settled his leg in between mine. I pushed down and gasped at the pressure. He smirked into the kiss. His tongue parted my lips and he licked my bottom lip. I tangled my hands in his hair and pulled his mouth impossibly closer. He started to move from my mouth over to my jaw line and he started to suck on the pressure point under my ear. I felt the coil in my stomach again and kept grinding against him. I felt him smile against me but he never let go of my neck. He had a methodical rhythm of _bite, lick, suck, bite, lick, suck_. He brought his knee up even higher and I pressed against him with more force than ever.

Something inside of me exploded. I raked my fingernails over his shoulders and moaned.

Really loud.

I was breathing so hard and he never stopped his moving mouth. _Bite, lick, suck, bite, lick, suck, bite, lick, suck, bite…_

"Wa-Warren. Sto-stop. You're go-going to give me-e a hick-hickey." I tried to slow down my breathing. It didn't help. He stopped and looked at me.

"Really? You just….And you're worried about a hickey? You will never cease to surprise me." He rolled next to me. I sat up slightly and gazed down at my lap. Well shit.

I slowly turned to look at him. "Warren? My underwear is ruined." He looked me in the eye and started to laugh.

**Okay ladies (And the occasional gentleman), what the fuck? Should I keep going? Is it moving too fast or too slow? How many more chapters would we like to see? How many more lemons would we like to see? Review, review, review. More reviews = Happy Me=More chapters for you.**


	6. Chapter 6

Warren's POV

I couldn't help it. I just had to laugh. Here she was, worrying about a hickey over an orgasm. Then she just had to further my amusement with innocently commenting on the state of her delicious underwear that I had no doubt, would look just as spectacular on the ground. Along with my shirt that she was wearing and her bra. I was in hysterics when she hit me. I sobered instantly, even though it didn't hurt.

She was staring at me, with anger in her eyes, and also a hint of playfulness.

She stood up and grabbed her school bag and reached within. I saw her pull out yet another bag, (_seriously, what was it with girls and their bags?_), and from within that bag came out a full change of clothes plus some adorable pajamas, which I had to admit, looked a lot like lingerie. I was dumbstruck.

"Oh yes, I had a change of clothes this whole time, but I just wanted to see how far you would go when I was in one of your shirts. Was it too much of a turn on?" I looked at her and was suddenly speechless.

What the fuck?

I _had_ to be dreaming for this sort of fuckery to be going on.

And I _had_ to find my voice for at least one sentence. "And so the student becomes the teacher." I had to admit. Seeing her in my clothes _was_ sort of a turn on.

She smirked at me and ran off into the bathroom. She emerged minutes later, clad in those pajamas. They were red, and they had black lace all over them. They consisted of a tank top that gathered under her breasts and these little booty shorts.

Damn. Exactly like lingerie.

She gave a little twirl and I lost it. I jumped out of the bed and slammed her against the wall. My mouth attacked hers and she wrapped her legs around me. She kissed me with a feverish hunger and I matched her tone. I pressed her even harder into the wall and her back arched while she moaned my name into my mouth.

Then I heard the front door open.

"Layla? Warren?" We froze in shock. My mom opened my door and I immediately let go of Layla. Once she was safely on the ground, she took a good two steps away from me.

Oh shit.

Layla's mom appeared beside her in the door way. Layla whispered under her breath so only I could hear.

"_We are so screwed…"_ She couldn't be more right.

**XXXXXX**

We were sitting on the couch and our moms were taking turns pacing in front of us, giving every reprimanding speech known to man. I slouched back and noticed that Layla kept sneaking glances at me from the corner of her vision. I turned my head and looked her straight at her, crossing my arms across my bare chest.

"You know I can see you." I smirked at her and she looked down at her scantily clad thighs, blushing.

"Warren! Pay attention!" I looked back up at my mom and she gave me a secret wink. "Go up to your room this instant." I sighed and leaned over to give Layla a kiss. I grabbed her chin in my hands and she all-so-willingly melted under my touch.

"See ya later hippie." She blushed again and I walked up the stairs to my mom's screaming. Wow, she should really be an actress. She didn't really care about what happened this weekend, as long as I wasn't in jail. And she knew that any girl I brought home had been given fair warning.

No harm done.

But I worried about Layla. I hoped that what she said about her mom was true, that she didn't care as long as Layla was safe. I heard the front door slam and a car start outside. My mom knocked on my door softly.

"Ya mom?" she entered and softly perched on the edge of my bed. She looked at me seriously.

"Warren. I really like that girl. And she really likes you too. I pulled her aside and she told me that you actually talked to her before you did anything too serious. I have never heard of you being so cautious like that with a girl before. So either you really like her, or you really like her. Which is it?"

I sighed and fell against my pillows. I looked into my mom's dark eyes, the same ones copied on my face.

And then I spilled my guts.

"I love her. I _really_ love her. I want to keep her by me always. I want her to be safe and happy. And I want her to trust me. I've never wanted this out of a relationship before, and it scares me. But I really do love her. I don't think that you guys even knew that we were acquaintances, let alone _together_ when you set up this weekend. But I just want her, and no one else."

I drew my hands down my face, finally feeling the exhaustion of today. My mom stood up and kissed my forehead, something she used to do when I was young.

That simple action brought back memories of burnt forearms and nights where my only lullaby was the muffled sound of my mother's soft cries. I looked up at her and noticed those same tears in her eyes. She gripped my shoulders and pulled me in for a hug.

"Warren Peace, don't ever let her go." She smiled at me once more and left my room, closing the door behind her.

I pulled the sheets out from under me and covered myself, missing Layla's cool skin as I fell restlessly asleep.

**XXXXXX**

Layla's POV

The car ride home was silent, and I swear you could cut the tension with a knife. We walked into the living room and my mom just pointed to the couch. I sat down, and she sat in the chair across from me.

"Oh Layla." She looked at me. "Were you at least safe?" I nodded. "Do you like this guy?"

"Mom, I love him." The older woman nodded.

"Okay, you will be grounded for three days and you have to give me my pajamas back." I blushed more furiously than I ever had before. I never thought she would recognize something that had been sitting in the back of her closet for two years. I got off the couch and started trudging up the stairs. My mom caught my wrist.

"Layla. Are you positive?" I sighed.

"I've never been so sure."

**Review my lovelies! Mwah!**


	7. Chapter 7

Layla's POV

I trudged to the bus stop alone on Monday morning. Warren had been barred from coming to my house for a week. I sat down on the bench with my umbrella. It had started to rain the night before, and hadn't relented throughout the night. And even now there was a light drizzle.

Thank goodness that the Sky High people had finally given us a covered bus stop. I looked up at the clouds and suddenly, a dark figure appeared. I shaded my eyes from the sun that had seemed to push its way through, and stared up at a grinning Warren.

"Hey hippie. What's up?" I must have had a shocked look on my face, because he laughed.

"Warren? How can you possibly be that cheery on a morning like _this_? And after a weekend like _that_ no less?" He just smiled at the sky.

"Lay. That was probably the _best_ weekend of my life. So. We got caught. Who cares? Your mom didn't seem too mad." He sat down next to me and kissed me. Hot, and sweet, and quick. I loved it when he kissed me.

The bus appeared and he pulled away and grabbed my hand. I sighed and closed my umbrella with my free hand, which was not an easy task. People on the bus started whispering when they saw us, so I guess word of us ditching traveled quickly. He led me into a window seat and sat in the aisle seat. I just relented to his happy demeanor, figuring that I ought to take advantage of it while it lasted.

We sat and talked about our punishments- (well, my punishment and his lack thereof) - we talked about our lunch plans, and what power we would have if we could choose. We talked and kissed a little and before I knew it, we had landed.

I barely even felt the jolt.

I looked outside and notice that it was raining even harder. We were closer to the clouds though, so what could I expect?

Warren held my umbrella over both of our heads and we held hands as we walked. I noticed that the grounds were lush and green, but the plants were still frozen from the storm, and I made some of the flowers defrost and start to bloom. Principal Powers gave me a nod of thanks from across the courtyard. I nodded back. Warren walked me to my locker and gave me a quick kiss before heading off to his first class.

When lunch rolled around, I couldn't find him anywhere. Finally I went to the weeping willow in the back and he was leaning on it, turned away from me.

"Warren? I couldn't find you anywhere. Where were you…" The figure turned around, and the glamour faded.

Will. I was truly scared as he tossed a roll of dollar bills to Irene, who was crouched behind an oak. She quickly walked away.

I slipped my phone behind my back and texted Warren.

**Hlp me undr weepng wllow**

I called a vine from the ground to carry my phone to a safe place while I tried to talk to Will.

"Will? What are you doing? Where's Warren? What the fuck is going on..." I was cut off by a searing pain in my arm as Will grabbed me and dug his fingernails into my skin.

"Ahh! Ow! Will! Let go!" He pressed his other hand against the back of my head and forced my face toward his puckered lips. I turned my head. "What are you doing? Get off me!" He pushed me back, slamming my head against the willow. The world went a little fuzzy around the edges. Where was Warren?

"Layla! Why don't you want me?" He slammed me back again. "I loved you! And this is how you repay me?" _SLAM!_

"I'm sorry." _SLAM!_

"I'm sorry." _SLAM!_

"I'm sorry." _SLAM!_

I felt like I was going to throw up. The world was fading into black and white. Why did Will keep saying he was sorry? Where was Warren?

"Answer me!" he roared and he slapped me across the face.

"I'm sorry." _SLAM!_

Suddenly the force of his hands disappeared and a flush of heat danced across my toes as I collapsed to the ground. Soft drops of rain fell through the branches of the willow, landing on my face. I could see Warren and Will fighting sideways.

Warren. I smiled through the pain and whispered, hoping he could hear it.

"You go babe…"

Everything faded black.

**XXXXXX**

I heard Warren's voice.

"Layla? Layla? Please dear god Layla, please live."

I wanted to scream that I was alive. I wanted to kiss him with all my might.

But I just couldn't move. My arms wouldn't reach up to caress his face, even though I was screaming at them in my mind. My mouth wouldn't open, even though I wanted to yell that I was alive.

I felt him place his head on my chest and stop and listen.

_Beat louder heart! He needs to know I'm alive!_

The pressure disappeared and he started dialing on a phone.

"Thank god. Yes Principal Powers, it's me… No, I just…Well yes… _Would you just shut up and listen?_ Send the nurse and some faculty members to the courtyard behind the school. West of the field…Yes you should come…No; I'll explain when you get here." Then he stopped talking. He started to move the hair off my face.

"Layla, I know you're alive. I love you. Please don't black out again. Just listen to me. I love you." He kept talking to me and I had never heard anything so sweet. I heard the sound of people's feet running against the ground.

I heard Principal Power's voice first.

"Oh my goodness…" I felt hands, probably Nurse Spex's, start to pat at the back of my head. It felt warm and wet. She pulled my clenched jaw apart and poured a tart powder onto my tongue.

"Okay honey. One, two, three, four, five. Now open your eyes." I did and found that my muscles would comply. I swallowed and flexed my fingers, then hands. I replied in a scratchy voice.

"Warren? Where is he?" His face appeared in the corner of my vision. "Warren, you came." He got in a quick kiss before Principal Powers pulled him to the side. I didn't catch the whole conversation, but I heard words like _beating, crazy, Will,_ and _attack_ being thrown around. Nurse Spex asked two big guys, who I think were seniors, to help lift me onto a stretcher and take me to the nurse's office. The guy at my shoulders was blonde, and very nice. He smiled at me the whole way there, and made sure I was comfortable on the cot.

Warren was in the room in a minute. He just grabbed a chair, sat next to me, and held my hand until the nurse came back.

She checked the back of my head, and she and Warren cleaned up the blood. She gave me eighteen stitches. Warren was helping me out the door when Will busted in. Coach Boomer, Mr. Boy, Principal Powers, and Mr. Medulla followed and tried to restrain him. His eyes were crazy and dark. Nurse Spex reached into one of her many drawers and pulled out a long, thin syringe, filled with a green-ish liquid. The teachers wrestled him to the ground and she stuck the needle in his shoulder.

He was out cold in a moment.

A high pitched wail was curdling everyone's blood and it took me a moment to realize that it was coming from my open mouth. I hadn't realized I was crying either.

I clutched my stomach and I suddenly felt weightless. Warren picked me up -bridal style- and dashed to the bathroom. He kicked open a stall door and I collapsed to the ground. I felt him hold my hair back as I threw up everything but my lungs into the white bowl. He cursed, and yanked a hair tie from his pocket, and put my hair up in a messy bun. Then he disappeared for a moment and came back with a damp wad of paper towel and started cleaning me up. Nurse Spex appeared in the doorway and handed me a toothbrush and some toothpaste, all still in their wrappers. I quickly brushed my teeth, all the while with Warren whispering sweet nothings in my ear. We emerged from the bathroom about ten minutes later.

Principal Powers motioned for us to go outside, and sure enough, Ron was waiting in the bus for us. My tears flowed constantly all the way back. Warren walked me home.

My mom was pacing on the porch when we arrived, a cup of tea in her hands. Someone must have called her. She saw us and rushed inside. Warren walked me to the door, and my mother forgot about my earlier punishment when she motioned for him to come in.

She opened her mouth to start bombarding me with questions, when Warren took her arm and gave her all the information she wanted to know in the dining room, away from me.

He was the best boyfriend ever.

They returned a few minutes later, and as soon as she saw me, she started to cry. It subsided after a moment, and she found her voice.

"Oh sweetie. I am so sorry that this happened to you. I never would have guessed…" She started to cry again, and left the room to look for a box of tissues. Warren sat down next to me and slung an arm around my shoulder.

He buried his face in my hair and started whispering.

"It's gonna be okay hippie. They are going to take Will down to the psychiatric hospital to evaluate him. Something must be wrong with his head. It's okay. You and I are going to take the week off from school, and you and your mom are going to come stay at my house for the time being. Just in case…" My heart started beating faster, and images of Will slamming my head against a tree flew across my mind.

Warren sensed my discomfort and pulled me closer, draping my legs across his lap so he could turn and press his forehead against mine. We didn't kiss, just stared into each others' eyes. I never realized how stormy his were, and yet, they were like the windows to his soul.

My mom came down the stairs, and she had a bag packed with a bunch of clothes, and everything I would need to stay at Warren's house for a week. Her bag was beside it. I shuffled behind her and followed her out to her car. Warren piled into the back seat with me, and we were pretty calm, just sitting with our hands clasped together and looking out the windows.

The rain had stopped, but an air of gloominess still hung over the town.

How perfect.

We pulled into Warren's driveway, and his mom rushed out of the house. She pulled my door open and yanked me out for a bone-crushing hug. I hugged her back and breathed in her spicy scent- a more feminine version of what Warren smelled like. She led me and my mother to the two of four guestrooms in the back of the house, on the second floor.

_The second floor where Warren's room was._

I sucked in some air and she guided my mother to the Lavender Room and me to the Emerald Room. I placed my suitcase next to the closet and flopped onto the bed.

It had four dark green bedposts and olive sheets, with a forest green bedspread. I loved it. I wish I could live here forever.

I sighed and laid back, my head hitting the deliciously soft pillows. I was quiet for a moment, and then someone opened the door. The person slipped my shoes off and settled on the bed beside me. I rolled over, and immediately encountered Warren's outstretched arms. I settled into them and he buried his face in my hair again.

We laid there for what seemed like forever, our breathing in synch, before the world went black for the second time that day, pulling me into a restless sleep.

**Sorry that I only have one more chapter up for this story. I wrote 6 other chapters for my other Sky High fic, The Mission, and this kind of fell onto the back burner. But I promise that more chapters will come. Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I love all my fans! Your reviews make my life bearable. Don't hate in the short chappie, but it is necessary. I love you!**

**Warning! Torture scenes may or may not be in the next few chapters, but I'll give you a certain and fair warning before that happens. Enjoy!**

Warren's POV

I woke up at five in the morning, blood-ridden images from my dream dancing around my head. Layla looked so peaceful, and I gave her a sweet kiss. I de-tangled my arms from around her, without trying to wake her up, and sat on the edge of the guest bed. I pushed the thoughts of Will beating and torturing her to the back of my mind. Something moved, and I spotted my mom in the corner chair, drinking coffee out of a white mug.

"The principle called. She says that you and Layla could be out of school, and that was just fine. And Will was taken to Maxville Psychiatric. They've done some tests, and will call us at six with the results, at five-thirty if it's urgent. So I'm just waiting." We sat in silence for a few moments, only to be interrupted by Layla.

"Mhmm…_Warren_." She sighed and smiled, rolling to her other side. My mom took another sip.

"She's been doing that all night. You held her through the nightmares, and then she just started saying your name every so often. Such a sweet girl." She smiled and I felt the heat on my face. I stood up and stretched, and left the room without another word from my mother. I went into my own room, collapsed onto my bed, and immediately missed Layla's body. I was staring at the ceiling, and totally lost track of time.

The phone rang.

I lolled my head around and checked my clock.

Five thirty.

Why is it urgent?

I panicked and jumped out of bed and raced into the kitchen, slamming my body into the wall above the stairs and dashing down. I skidded to a stop, and my mom and Layla's mom had the phone sandwiched between them. Their faces were ashen and Layla's mom's mouth was in a hard line. I heard someone talking on the phone in a loud voice, and my mom dropped her coffee cup.

I watched in astonishment as the thick ceramic fell onto the ground, breaking into a hundred pieces, followed by the hot dark liquid sloshing over the floor. They let the phone drop, and I caught it with one hand before it hit the ground. I held it to my ear and heard a man talking.

"Can you hear me? Will Stronghold has escaped; a code red. I repeat, code red. He is unarmed but extremely dangerous." I slammed the phone on the kitchen counter and shook my mom's shoulders.

"What is going on? What did they say? MOM!" She snapped out of it and spook in a monotonous voice.

"He had a brain tumor. Layla was the catalyst. Made him extremely volatile. Possible villain activity. He escaped the hospital and started running down the I-5. He's headed straight for us." I spun around and heard an earsplitting crash, and a blood curdling scream. I sprinted up the stairs and ripped off the door to Layla's room. A huge hole was in the side of our house, and Will was flying away, Layla screaming over his shoulder. The wind whipped my hair around my face as I watched the retreating forms.

My arms were encased in flames and my eyes darkened.

I whispered one word.

"Mine."

**X**

**X **

**Buahahaha!**

**So? How do think this is going to go down? I'm kinda stuck, so PMs or reviews with ideas are greatly appreciated. (But I don't think I can hate you if you tell me I'm amazing either. Whatever works. :D)**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Bloody descriptions below! Contains references to rape and torture! You were warned!**_

Warren's POV

I paused at the entrance to our basement, my hand frozen on the knob. My mother placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder and I steeled myself, opening the door to my father's old lair. My mouth was pressed into a hard line and I raced past the other rooms, barely giving them a glance, before I swung open the door to the armory. My mother was an empath, but she also happened to be amazingly awesome at hand-to-hand combat. She taught me everything I know.

Honestly, I got my fighting spirit from her, not my father.

I slid a knife into the ankle strap on my boot, and put on a belt over my shirt, filling it with five knives in various sizes. My mother did the same, only hers was twice as loaded and she slid a knife into a sheath on her wrist. Knives were sort of a thing in our family.

Some families have jewelry they pass down, or recipes for pie. We have knives.

Layla's mom stood at the threshold, refusing to enter the room of promised violence. She quickly called the Commander and Jetstream. As much as I hated that they wanted to help and that I had to work with them, I couldn't take away their rights to their son.

We left as quickly as we had come. In lieu of knives or other weapons, Layla's mom had a polar bear following her like she was the flame to his moth. I was really uncomfortable that we had a bear in our house, so he stayed outside till we were done.

I put my hair out of my face and slipped on my leather jacket.

My mother's car was outfitted with all the perks of the Sky High bus, so we got there in half the time. One of my mom's friends had been contacted, and she used her power to locate Will in an abandoned warehouse a few miles away. I was turning a blade over in my hand, holding it over a flame on my fingers when someone knocked on my widow. I looked up unsurprised and gave a curt nod to The Commander and Jetstream flying next to us.

We pulled up, piled out of the car and the aforementioned superheroes landed gracefully beside us. The polar bear was finally let out of the cramped back seat and Layla's mother, whose name I finally learned was Melissa, spoke to him through an odd dialect of grunts and roars.

Our motley crew walked towards the door and The Commander walked on, making a large hole for us to pass through.

When we had all piled in and our eyes grew accustomed to the low light, we all froze.

The sight in front of me made me want to cry, kill Will, crawl into a hole, and slit my own throat all at the same time. Instead, only a choked gasp escaped my lips.

Layla was obviously unconscious, and she was in her underclothes, hanging by her wrists from rusty chains attached to the ceiling. Had she been awake, she could have easily stood on her feet with slack on the chains. As she was now, her knees were inches from the ground and she was slumped against the wall behind her. Her head was hung forward, and her hair was tangled and fell in front of her face.

But the worst part was the hundred angry welts covering her from toe to shoulder.

I staggered over to her and barely registered the others splitting up to look for Will, who seemed to be absent at the moment.

I hurried over to her and pushed her hair out of her face. Her lip was split and she had a bruise forming across her cheekbone. She had faint bruises of handprints forming around her neck. On closer inspection she had the same prints around her hips.

I never wanted to think about what that meant. I never wanted to think about what he did to her.

Because he was completely screwed up.

I pulled an extra hair tie out of my pocket and pulled her tangled curls back. I gave her a more thorough check and was astonished to notice bleeding cuts all over her stomach, sides, and back. I thanked my mother under my breath that she had made me put a first aid kit in my pocket. I took out a thick roll of gauze and started wrapping her entire torso with the stuff.

Once she was properly gauzed, I noticed she was waking up. And that she was freezing. I looked at her wrists, and _very carefully_, used my highest heat setting to burn away a line in the rust. The shackles gave out and she started to collapse to the floor. I took off my jacket and put it around her shoulders, leaning her against the wall. I sat down on the dank floor next to her and she leaned against my shoulder.

She spoke, and sounded like she had been to hell and back.

"War…" Her breathing caught and a tear escaped. I kissed the top of her head and pulled her in closer. She was so cold. Like she was unnaturally cold.

I pulled a few escaped strands of her hair back and noticed that she had blacked out again.

"Layla? Layla?" My breathing quickened and I laid her on the ground, noticing her miniscule inward shivers. I whispered to her. "I'm so sorry Layla."

I took off my leather gloves and threw them off to the side. I forced heat into my hands and waited till they glowed red.

Then I started at her feet and pressed my hands onto every inch of her body, flushing her skin with warmth. I made it up to her lips and instead of blazing them with my physical fire, I tried to make her remember our emotion flame.

I kissed her with everything I had. I let all the emotion I had ever felt for her flow through that kiss. The pain, the passion, the luck, the lust, the slight annoyance, followed by the comfort. And all the love. I put all the love I had ever felt from the deep centre of my being into that kiss.

A lone tear streaked over my cheek, and her lips disappeared to kiss it away…

just like I had done that second day.

Her brown eyes opened.

"I love you Warren Peace."

A door clanged shut behind us.

**X**

**X**

**X**

**A cliffhanger! You know what will make that next chapter come faster. (Hint: It starts with re- and ends in -view .)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Guess what I have! The fight scene that some of you have been waiting for! Totally cool, and in my head, Warren is a complete warrior. Enjoy!**

Warren's POV

I spun around and slid into a protective crouch in front of Layla. Will's eyes were unnaturally dark and he stood in front of the door with a sneer on his face.

A small part of my mind was completely bewildered that things had gotten so out of control in a few hours. The rest was filled with absolute unadulterated rage.

He made a small misstep towards the right, and I pulled the knife out of my ankle strap, heating it to searing with my hand.

He took another step forward, and I flung the knife spinning towards his shoulder. The knife hit its mark, and I ran forward lighting my fists on fire.

I landed a third degree punch on his jaw and he swung hard and fast. My training kicked in and I rolled away, slipping a leg out to knock him on his feet. He landed hard, and I pulled him up by grabbing his throat in my flaming fist. He was still scrawnier than me, so it took little effort to throw him against the wall.

I slipped another knife out of my belt and heated it up, throwing it at his chest. He threw his arm up and the knife embedded itself in his bicep. He cried out, and I kicked him across his face.

He was psycho, so of course he probably didn't feel a thing. He stood up with that smug smirk on his face and I landed a hard kick to the knife in his shoulder, pressing it further into his flesh. He threw me back and I quickly rolled away before he could bash my face in with the heel of his shoe. I pulled another knife out and he went for a ground pound.

At the right moment, I jumped up, hitting another jump against the wall. I used my momentum to grab onto a swinging chain and roll behind him. I took the knife and jammed it into his thigh, pressing it to the bone with a flaming hand. He caught my arm and punched me hard in the ribs, throwing me against the wall. I stood up quickly, my adrenaline on full blast, and I kicked him right on his knee cap, causing the joint to bend at an unnatural angle. I jumped away, and he collapsed onto his back.

Layla was screaming at someone to stop, and I couldn't tell if she was yelling at me or Will. It wouldn't have worked either way. Will pushed himself up and balanced on one leg. I threw a series of fireballs at him and they all landed in succession over the same spot on his chest.

I walked over to him and punched him in the eye with a flaming fist, adding injury to more injury. I was too far again and I used him as my personal punching bag.

One, two hit to the gut, flaming elbow to the nose. One, two hit to the gut, flaming elbow to the jugular.

Repeat on other arm.

I sent a roundhouse kick with my right leg to his jaw and he flew back, crumpling in an unconscious heap against the wall. I followed through with the kick to avoid dislocating my hip. I landed with my back to him and my face to Layla, one leg out, the other crouched under me, an arm thrown out to balance me, and the other in a fist on the ground. I was breathing hard, and black dots threatened to invade my vision.

I stood up and walked over to Layla warily, trying to see if she had blacked out again. She was sitting, perfectly fine, and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Warren that was fantastic, but the fireballs? Your technique was terrible. And your form was sloppy." I stared at her incredulously. Was she really trying to correct me? Or was she trying to make a joke at the most serious of times?

Dear God, I don't think I'll ever know.


	11. Chapter 11 Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Warren walked me off the bus, my hand tightly intertwined with his. We encountered many odd stares as we made our way to the auditorium. I had been dreading this day since that fateful night. We entered, and I could see the podium enveloped in a harsh glare of white light. I was supposed to be at that podium.

"Warren, I'm not really sure I can do this. What do I say? Why are we even doing this?" Tears threatened to run down my face, but he forced my chin up.

"Hippie, you were stronger than him. There are so many unanswered questions, so this is the best way to just get it out there. Introduce yourself, give a brief overview, and ask for questions. Answer whatever you can without feeling overwhelmed, then say you're done and come back. I'll be waiting right over there."

I forced the tears back into my skull and stepped out under the halo.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Sky High, distinguished Superheroes and Superheroines, my name is Layla Williams. Three weeks ago, my ex-boyfriend Will Stronghold…kidnapped me. Earlier that day, he had attacked me, and was brought to Maxville's Psychiatric Hospital. He escaped, and he… found me. I was brutalized, tortured, and almost dead when my saviors came. They were Fauna, The Commander, Jetstream, Diamond Heart, and one my very best friends, who also happens to be my loving and supportive boyfriend, Warren Peace."

My mom, then the Strongholds, then Warren's mom, then finally Warren, stepped onto the raised platform behind me.

"Fauna and Diamond Heart searched for Will, and his parents tried to subdue him through their emotional pain. Meanwhile, Warren kept me alive, tending to my wounds, and keeping me conscious. He was also the one to finally take down Will Stronghold. Questions?" I shielded my eyes from the blinding light, and noticed a waving hand in the second row.

"You there, in the blue, second row."

"What caused this onslaught of hostile behavior in the Stronghold boy?" I sighed.

"Will had an unfortunate tumor in his brain, pressing on his Frontal Lobe. When I broke up with him, he slammed his head against a locker, and unbeknownst to all of us, caused the tumor to swell. The Frontal Lobe is responsible for behavior, personality, judgment, emotion, and attention, among others. When the tumor pressed against this part of his brain, it triggered a nerve that brought on the violent tendencies, and ultimately, a drastic change in character."

Another hand waved.

"White shirt, about fifth or sixth row."

"What injuries did you sustain?"

I held back my tears again.

"Will raped me twice, broke one of my ribs, and I got an infection in two of the deeper cuts on my torso. He didn't really care about sanitary tools at the time. I suffered numerous bruises, cuts, welts, and scrapes over my entire body. I just got out of the hospital two days ago."

A slender arm wavered up from the crowd near the front.

"Blue and purple shirt, first row."

"Where is the youngest Stronghold now?"

"He is being held in a maximum security psych ward on the west side of the factory district, about fifty miles out." I heard voices sigh in relief, but my attention was drawn to a singular movement in the last row of bleachers.

A small hand simply rose in the air and waited.

"Raised hand, in the very back."

I could almost hear the person deeply inhale from my position. "Why you?"

I placed my hands on the podium to steady myself, and a tear escaped. "One doctor says I was so deeply engraved in his brain that I was all he could think about. Another said that because I was the catalyst when he hit his head, I was frozen in his thoughts. Some said it was purely chance. And then a single, lone, doctor gave me the most honest answer I had heard. I immediately believed him. He left me with five words that seemed like the most plausible answer."

I drew in a shaky breath.

"How will we ever know?"

The auditorium was silent, and I stepped off the podium, grabbed Warren's hand from his tall perch, and dragged him out of the crowd without a second glance.

At least I still have my knight in leather armor.

And frankly, he was always the one I wanted.


End file.
